Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-03-17
EVE HOLIDAYS A WEEK.
The Happy Go-Lucky Life of the Extra
Barber

The Happy -GO-Lucky Life of the Extra
Barber.
Such welcome as is now extended b,
the "tonsorial artists" of the city to jour
neymen BARRIERS arriving from the east il
search of employmentis not calculated t.
cheer the hearts or buoy up the spirits OF
the newcomers, says The San Francisco
Chronicle. But, as in the old Concord
coaches there was ''always room for one
more" In San Francisco, with almost as
many men to scrape faces as there are
faces to scrape, the new arrivals fit from
shop to shop until they eventually secure
chance to lay on lather aud WELD razor
and scissors behind an 'extra chair" In
his own particular line the barber is per
| slstent and energetic, when out of work
In his efforts to find a situation, but he
very seldom turns his attention to other
fields of employment, and, if by any rare
chance he does go job hunting outside of
the barber-shOps, he does not, generally,
pursue his labors very far before he again
finds himself honing his razors and start
| Ing out anew on his old rounds. Well
known downtown barber-shop proprie-
tors say that in the whole tonsoral history
OF San Francisco they never knew the
time when the town was so thronged with
EJOurneymen, am ateur, eastern and for
elgn chln-scrapers and hair-clippers as il
is at present.
where do they all come from?" said a
boss-barber yesterday, repeating the
question of reporter. "The Lord orly
knows. But 1 can account for the pres
ence of many of them, think, and that is
cut rates. Last year, when the fare from
the east was less than the price of q
weeks board a whole raft of BARRIERS came
here from the other side of the Missis-
sippi. and I'm thinking that good many
of them are here yet and that they are
likely to stay for some time. They seem
to have an idea, you know, that this town
could support twenty or thirty thousand
BARRIERS just as we'll as not but they were
not long in finding out that there were
plenty of BARRIERS here and some to spare
before they ever got aboard the emigrant
train. There was time here not long
ago-and there isn't much difference
now-when l had on an average ten ap-
pllcations day for extra chairs. Soma
how or other these fellows manage to
make living, but they make it chiefly on
Saturdays and Sundays when there is
more work than the regular force can do.
suppose they manage to get their sup
port by sort of alienation of men and
POSITIONS, for none of them ever work
very long IN one place. What do they
do on the off five days of the week? Well.
that is mystery that have yet failed to
solve"
Another head-trimmer, who was seen
by the reporter, had, however, solved the
mystery, for he was an extra man himself.
"Oh, we walk around town." said he,
like gentlemen of leisure, sun ourselves
on the wharves on pleasant days, and
when 1t rains retreat 10 the shelter of the
oee- JOINTS. When we've got any coin in
our clothes we find an easy way of
doubling it by playing Chinese lottery,
and still easier way by shaking dice.
When we've got an extra chair there's not
any use of looking further for work, for
there is chance, you know, that one of
the regular men may die and then YOU
fall in for $12 or SIS a week."
How much can you make on SATURDAYS
and Sundays?" was asked.
''About &c.
And that is your sole means of sup
''That's the wnOIe UnIug.
'Why don't you get other work on off
days?"
The extra man smiled, rolled a cigarette
between his smooth fingers, and said:
'You don't know much about the bar
bers. S'posing got a job outside, as
would be very unlikely, for who wants to
employ man only four or five days
eek?-s'posing I got such job! how
long would it take to spoil me for barber
ing? Notmore than month. A man
can't go swinging his arm one way at one
kind of work and then go to shaving peo-
pie at the rate of six an hour without
drawing blood enough to set him
up in the tragedy business. And
how long would such a barber last,
even in 10-cent shop? Your hands get
hard and your touch gets heavy,and your
totally unfit for handling razor. A good
many people think that barbering is
easily sleraned,7 and can be followed off
and on at long intervals without any
trouble. but they make a big mistake
there, and don't you forget it."
"But why not go into other employ
ment altogether if your present work is
SO unproftable?"
to go into other kinds of business and l
never knew one yet who didn't gof back
to barbering before long. A barber chair
is, believe, sort of magnet, from which
a man who knows the trade can only go
so far and so long. I know that sounds
but you ask the next barber
you see and he'll tell you it is So"